Happy Friday book friends! Today’s post comes with great timing, because I want to talk about ETs and I’m currently rereading a sci-fi series full of ETs. I was planning to read spooky books only this month, but… that didn’t work out.
I love books that have extraterrestrial life. The possibilities are endless, and it’s so fun to see authors go all out in coming up with interesting ETs for their stories. In this post I’ll discuss six books: some with the scary type of ET, and some with the nice type of ET. Do let me know what your favorite books with extraterrestrial life are!extraterrestrial
Salvaged
By Madeleine Roux
This book definitely has the creepy aliens. The MC, Rosalyn, took on an odd job for a bio-engineer: spaceship janitor. The first line of this book is immediately gross, because being a space janitor doesn’t just mean cleaning space toilets. It also means cleaning human remains if shit hits the fan in a spaceship. Anyway, she has to salvage a ship that has gone dark, with the crew presumed dead, but of course they aren’t really dead, and creepy space-alien stuff ensues. This is a stand-alone, and honestly works great as a spooky read for October because of the whole space-parasite thing.
Leviathan Wakes
By James S.A. Corey
Speaking of creepy alien parasites, Leviathan Wakes has become one of my favorite sci-fi series now, despite me having only read the first three books. Where Salvaged is more horror-themed, Leviathan Wakes has a lot more going on in terms of scope. There is so much more involved than simple aliens, and I love that. I’m hoping to read the fourth book sometime in the near future, but I have to find the right edition first, and that’s proving to be harder than I thought. Can’t have mismatched paperbacks, after all.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
By Becky Chambers
This book has both nice and angry aliens. Of course, a lot of the Wayfarer’s crew are non-human, and they’re traveling to an angry planet with lots of angry inhabitants. This book is great if you enjoy character-driven stories over plot-driven ones. Don’t expect too much classic sci-fi action here, but do expect great dialogue, awesome characters and getting attached to all of them. I still have to continue this series, but I have no doubt I’m going to love the rest of the books, too.
Aurora Rising
By Amie Kausman & Jay Kristoff
I keep forgetting that Aurora’s End comes out early November, which is less than a month away. Obviously I’m excited, but also still angry after that cliffhanger ending of book 2. Anyway, the Aurora Cycle is another series in which there are many aliens that are decent, but there’s again some kind of weird growth/parasite-thingie that borders on the side of scary. These books are so action-packed I kind of got tired trying to keep up with it all, but they’re still a lot of fun! I hope Aurora’s End has a happy ending, but somehow I doubt it.
Crownchasers
By Rebecca Coffindaffer
This book was one of my best discoveries of this year, it was seriously so much fun. I actually don’t think that any of the characters that show up in this book are earth-human, but all of them are definitely humanoid. This is a classic space opera: it’s full of action, witty banter, and awesome space technology that does not get explained at all, because why should you confuse the reader? Just assume it works because it works. The sequel just came out, and I want to get my hands on a copy ASAP.
Touched by an Alien
By Gini Koch
This book is a little different from the ones above because it doubles as a romance series. Uhm, not like the title and cover didn’t already tell you that. This is the series I’m currently rereading! Wish me luck though, because I’ve read up to book 10 in the past, and by now there are 16 books out, with more coming. I feel like this is either a hit or miss by a lot of people. If you’re like me and great at ignoring red flags and love witty banter and stupid humor, you’ll like this series. If not, then this one is probably not for you. I don’t think I have to explain that the aliens in this case are the love interests, but there are also plenty of ETs out there in other solar systems that kind of want to destroy earth. So there’s still plenty of plot and action!
And that’s it for today’s post! Don’t forget to tell me about your favorite books that have extraterrestrial life. I’m open to all genres, as you can see, and I always want more sci-fi in my life.
